Simon Caney, "Cosmopolitan Justice, Responsibility, and Global Climate Change"
Climate change has been a hot topic of discussion for quite some time now, and it is something that needs to be talked about and addressed. The fact that for some people they wont even admit to the fact that climate change is real is truly absurd. In this post I will not be arguing if climate change is real or not, it is real and the topic of discussion is, should our current generation come up with ways to protect future generations from the effects of climate change. In Caney's article he is defending, "a distinctive cosmopolitan theory of justice, criticize a key principle of international environmental law, and, moreover, challenge the ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ approach that is affirmed in current international environmental law"(Caney 748). Meaning in his article it is focused on the different plans that could be used to help the future people with climate change and if it is our responsibility to try and contain the issue when we can or just leave it for the other generations to deal with. With this question comes my response.
I believe that we do have duties to protect the future generations from effects of climate change which we are experiencing right now. Climate change is simply defined as a change in the average environmental conditions over a long period of time. We have experienced many negative effects of climate change and at the rate it is going there are going to be major environment problems for future generations. The reason that I believe we need to do the best we can to decrease this negative impact is because our loved ones will be living in future generations and their kids after that, we have lived a full life just to bring more life into this world and what would the point of it all be if future generations don't have a steady and able environment. We as a community and humans have moral obligation to think about how our actions can effect those of future generations and do as much as we can so that they can thrive.
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteI agree we have a responsibility to future generations to work to resolve climate change. I’m interested to know if you agree with the individual or collective Polluter Pays Principle that Caney discusses? There are definitely pros and cons to both approaches, I personally mostly just agree with Candy’s concluding remark that the PPP needs to be supplemented with other solutions as well.
Hi Grace. I agree that at the current rate at which the negative effects of climate change are occurring, there is a need for us to address the issue now, rather than allow it to get worse. We bear a personal responsibility to make sure that future generations live in a sustainable environment, just as we bear a responsibility to create a sustainable environment for our own generation
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